laid the blanket down, folding it so it had enough room for both of us and everything looked good. I took a seat on the blanket and breathed deeply which slightly put me into a state of meditation. I gazed into the fire and watched it's flames. The beauty of a fire.. Its energy is quite magnificent. With a little fuel from wood, its flame blazes into a grandiose wisp of ever-changing form. It flows randomly with the wind while manipulating into its own cycle of immaculate posture. I absorbed my mind deeply into the fire, loosing track of time.
I herd crunches of leaves from behind me and became conscious of my environment again. I turned around to see Isabella walking towards me with a fat piece of steak in her hands. She smiled as she sat next to me and said, “Everything looks good! Hopefully the marinade comes out delicious because I'm starving..” I nodded in agreement and started to get everything prepared. I started cooking our meal and we talked about our lives. Isabella asked, “So how do you feel about fighting in arena tournaments? I know your turning twenty-one very soon.” I looked at her with a sincere face and replied, “I think I will do good and I am quite excited. My father, as you know, has been teaching me how to fight all my life. I am hoping that I can do great and earn our family some money. My dream is to eventually be the champion, but that takes a lot of work and from what father has told me the champion right now hasn't been defeated in roughly two years.” Isabella looked surprised and smiled, “I am sure you will do good Akira.. I haven’t seen you fight myself, but you look pretty tough.” She gave me a wink. “Also, you were talking about some interesting event that happened to you today when we met in the market place. What was it? I have been very curious!” I let out a sigh and looked into the fire. “I don't think you will like the sound of it, girls tend to be more emotional and caring when it comes to these things.. But I had a rabid bear come and attack my while I was making arrows for my new bow.” She looked shocked and yelled, “You fought a bear!!” I giggled by her reaction and commented back, “A rabid one.” She looked like she was thinking deeply and she asked, “Please tell the story then!” I explained to her what happened and how I quickly decided to jump towards the ground. Her eyes lit up while I was telling the story of how I basically could have died and she teared a little. “What's wrong?” I asked. As she wiped her tear away from her she said, “Akira.. We used to be friends as kids and I really don't have many friends in this small village. All I do is work, making clothes and mostly argue with Troy. The thought of loosing you saddens me and the fact that we haven't been closer saddens me more.” My face blushed bright red and my eyes were open wide with surprise. “I didn't think you cared at all for me, honestly..” I looked back towards the steak which laid sizzling in my pan and flipped it. We both sat quietly for a few minutes and Isabella broke the silence. “The steak smells delicious.” She glanced at me with a smile, “I can't wait to eat it!” I nodded excitedly and finally asked a question that stirred around in my mind. “So you said you argue with Troy a lot.. Why do you like him then? What makes you want to be with him?” She looked up into the sky for a minute and replied, “I don't know Akira. It really isn't in my control. It is some thing father wants. He thinks that if I am with a guy like him, a wealthy man who will always make good money, that my life will be better. Instead of struggling all of my life like my parents, he wants me to be happy and he thinks it's acquired through money. I have even disagreed with him and told him that Troy is not my love, but he backfires angrily and tells me to not ruin an opportunity so grand. So I sit, questioning it all the time and I don't know what to really do.” I looked at her with pity and replied, “I think you will know what to do when the time is right. I agree with both of you honestly. Money is important and life is a lot more stressful without it. But also, money doesn't make one's happiness and even with all the money in the world one can still be unsatisfied and hate life.. I believe that true love is a lot more important, because it actually helps toward making one's life joyful, more mystical.” She smiled at me and locked her eyes into mine. My heart suddenly raced as she looked seductively at me. I could feel her energy, her being, her sweet luscious soul connecting into my own. Her hand reached slowly up and she lightly laid it onto my chest. Surely she can feel my heart racing. It's beating so fast, she is so beautiful. If only.. At that very moment in my process of thinking I heard a strong yell from behind us. “Isabella! You devil, you whore. I've been looking around every where for you! And here you are, touching with Akira!” She jumped up to her feet with a gasp. “Troy, it isn't like that.. I.. I..” Her words faded into the air as he started walking up, yelling at me. “Akira!! You disrespectful dick! I told you what would happen if you ate with my girl!” I stood on my two feet as well, preparing my mind for a fight. He continued, “You ready for your ass whooping kiddo!?” He got in my face and pushed me back. I looked at him disgustedly and said, “Bring it on you cocky bastard!” He lunged at me suddenly with his right fist and I swiftly dodged his attack while pulling out my foot to trip him. He stumbled and landed face first onto the ground. I smirked at him and said, “is that all you got?” He got back up and swung at me with his other hand. This time I blocked it and pushed out his extended arm, causing him to spiral. Quickly, I jumped forward smashing my right elbow into his the back of his head. This sent him strait to the ground again. I turned around to Isabella with an apology, “I am sorry.. I didn't expect this to..” As I was finishing my sentence she gasped and I turned back around to see what she was startled by. Before I knew it I was knocked onto the ground and my nose was pounding. Troy yelled, “Your just a worthless piece of shit boy who will go no where in life!” I wiped my nose against my sleeve and saw that it was gushing blood. Now my heart started beating furiously and my aggression took the best of me. I felt a sharp flair in my arm and noticed my markings seemed to be almost glowing, just like before in the bear attack. I quickly got up and lunged at him, tackling him to the ground. In a split second my fists were lashing out at him. I counted twelve rapid strikes before I heard Isabella scream, “STOP!!” I became almost aware of what I was doing and got up, staggering back. Troy laid there unconscious with his face filled with blood. I was shocked. What took over my body there? Some thing really weird happened and it was the same with the bear attack. It was almost like some other power that I've never felt before.. Isabella was now kneeled before Troy crying, telling him how sorry she was. She started wiping blood off his face with her shirt and she glanced back at me frightened. Frightened by the fact that I lost control, that I had that much power. She was scared of me and that crushed me in every way. I took a few steps back and a tear dropped out of my eye. I suddenly turned around and ran. I didn't know what else to do, but run...
I arrived to my special place of peace and nourishment, the water fall. Night was apparent for the full moon rested high in the sky, overlooking a few puffy clouds. I noticed that it was quite brisk as a gust of wind pushed strongly against me sending a long chill of goose bumps down my spine. I ignored the feeling and let my body absorb it which helped me to feel more numb. I sat there on my rock, dwelling upon the entire day. There was a lot to think about, the bear fight, Isabella, beating up Troy, my stinging birthmark, the tournaments, and what was going to happen with my life. I sighed deeply. It is all just to overwhelming. I peered far down into the pool of water from the rock which I sat on and thought about what would happen if I let myself fall. I could end this pain and misery, I could just let myself go. My soul would be set free wouldn't it? But I can't just give up. That would be pathetic, what a waist of a life. I have to push forward, that is all I can do, because I feel that there is some thing more.. There has to be. I took many deep breaths and focused on the one thing in front of me that would ease my mind. I delved my mind, soul, spirit, and body's attention into the water fall. I let myself go, absorbing into its presence, which helped me become more numb and even more unattached from reality. As I sat there watching the water gush down into the lake, I noticed hearing a strange voice occur in my head. Aki
ra... Akira.. Move it.. Shift it.. I questioned what was happening but allowed the strange voice to strengthen and power my mind. My body started to feel like it was pulsing and my arm started flaring again, but this time it didn't feel like a sting. It felt like I was literally absorbing energy from something. I continued watching the water gush out and I endured this strange presence even more. My hand started to slowly lift up, almost by itself and it pointed towards the water fall. Circle... Akira.. Power.. I noticed in a blurred type of vision that my birth mark started to light up. The five dots were now connecting and it formed a star. It grew brighter and brighter and suddenly I became conscious towards what was happening. In a split second my blurred vision faded and my eye sight returned to normal. My hand dropped down and my mind came back to its body. What the hell.. What was that!? I looked around frightened but everything seemed to be normal. I slowly peered down to my arm but I saw that nothing